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The following states represent where Gift of Love families currently reside. For more information about references or families that you can visit with in your state, please contact the office. We would love to add your state to the map!

Family Testimonials

China Family Testimonial

Word of mouth and research on the internet led us to Gift of Love International Adoptions.  We began our adoption process in March 2005 and in April 2007 we traveled to China to get our beautiful daughter Kaelyn.  Gift of Love helped us through the whole adoption process from start to finish.  The whole adoption process can seem quite overwhelming.  It can at times be somewhat frustrating,  stressful and emotional.  The staff at Gift of Love was there for us.  They held out hands each step of the way.  They are so kind and caring.  We felt extremely comfortable with them.  We are so grateful for their support.  We couldn't of asked for a better adoption agency to assist us in our journey to Kaelyn.  She is truly the love our lives.  What an amazing ride!  Thanks Gift of Love for everything!

Stacy and Tracy

Adopted Kaelyn in 2007

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Russia Family Testimonial

We began the daunting task of adopting internationally by choosing Gift of Love and, looking back, we are thankful that we did. Everyone there was understanding and compassionate as they helped us through this process. At times the waiting time, the paperwork, and the travel seemed overwhelming but the folks at Gift of Love, through their experience, were able to get us through the process. When we returned from Russia last June, our lives had changed forever. Michael had completed our family and we are grateful to Gift of Love for making our dream come true.  In the year Michael has been with us, he has developed a wonderful personality, expressed in his beautiful smile and cheerful demeanor. He's the center of attention wherever he goes and simply lights up any room he's in. The wonderful care he received in Russia has been evident every day since Michael joined us in that he is very affectionate and had had absolutely no issues in his attachment to us. He is now a happy, cheerful, almost 3 year old who we are very happy to have as part of our family.  We have nothing but positive thoughts regarding Gift of Love and our international adoption experience. We always felt like we were getting a "personal" touch during the process even though we did everything without being near the Gift of Love office in Iowa. We would certainly recommend Gift of Love to any family looking to adopt internationally. They certainly made our dreams come true.

Jim and I wanted to let all of you at Gift of Love that helped our dream come, that we are so happy that we choose you as our agency. Michael is the most cheerful, wonderful little boy. I am not just saying that because he is our son. We have many friends with children and none of them have the personality that he does. He lights up a room when he is in it. Can someone please get word back to Orenburg Orphanage and let them know that they must have treated Michael as one of there own children. He is kind, loving and is always smiling. Even though he is very still very young, he shows us in his face that he is so happy to be alive. Again Jim and I thank Gift of Love for being there and all the wonderful people associated with the agency.

Jim and Sandy

Adopted Michael in 2001

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Ukraine Family Testimonial

We had talked about adoption for some time. It was through Myron's employer in January 1999 that we met Sandy and Gary Sromek who had adopted two children from Russia and used Gift of Love as their agency. We discovered that very night that Gift of Love had an informational meeting in Eau Claire, WI, and after a quick supper we drove over an hour in an ice storm, no less, to find out more! Later that year, we began our process to adopt two children from Russia.

The wait was so frustrating, but the staff at Gift of Love was so patient with us, answering our barrage of questions and comforting us when the tears of frustration flowed. We were hoping to get our children by Fall 2000, but when Vladimir Putin first came to power things slowed down considerably and we were crushed. Gift of Love let us know that they were starting a new program in Ukraine. Would we be interested? We discussed it and since we were not yet matched with any children, we decided to switch countries. Some paperwork had to be redone, but we kept the faith that we were doing the right thing. On February 28, 2001, we received the call to "get our running shoes on" as we were leaving for Ukraine on March 3! Talk about a rush! Just days later we found our son Adam and daughter Erika in Lviv Children's Homes #1 and #2 in Lviv, Ukraine. We met so many wonderful people on our journey; it was hard to leave the Ukrainians whom we found to be very warm, gracious, and caring individuals. They praised Gift of Love's preparedness in this whole process which confirmed for us that we made the right decision as far as selecting an agency.

Our children are exactly 7 days apart in age so, essentially, we came home with twins! They will both turn 3 in August 2002, and it is amazing how they've grown and learned in the year and a half that we've had them. They really are our pride and joy!

We recommend Gift of Love very highly to anyone considering an international adoption. Their staff is the best! They've introduced us to so many other wonderful families as well and we feel we've made some great friends. We want to thank Gift of Love for this incredible experience. We are forever grateful to them for bringing this forever family to fruition. Thank you, Gift of Love!
 

Myron and Kathleen

Adopted Adam and Erika in 2001

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Vietnam Family Testimonial

In January of 2002, we once again found ourselves jetting across the Pacific to adopt. This time, we were off to Vietnam, to adopt our son Matthew. Circumstances were different from our China trip. We were traveling alone. We met our facilitator at the Hanoi airport. They accompanied us to our hotel and got us settled in.

The next day they drove us to Matthew's orphanage in Ha Nam Province. At the orphanage we met Matthew, his caregivers and the other children living there. It was heartwarming to see how much everyone at the orphanage loved Matthew and how he was so well cared for. We then attended the Giving and Receiving ceremony to officially adopt Matthew.

We flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to complete the US side of the paperwork. In Ho Chi Minh City, we arranged sightseeing tours to the Cu Chi tunnels (an important sight of fighting during the Vietnam War), a boat tour of the Mekong Delta, visited several museums and temples, shopped and ate at many great restaurants. The Vietnam countryside is beautiful. Ho Chi Minh City is a bustling metropolis with many things for a tourist to see and do. We found the Vietnamese people to be very warm, friendly and helpful.

Our two adoption journeys were different but both resulted in wonderful children joining our family. In both China and Vietnam, the people were warm and friendly and the food was delicious. We traveled to China with a group and made lasting friendships. Traveling to Vietnam alone gave us the freedom to explore and eat without the constraints of a large group.

Paul and Patricia

Adopted Mathew in 2002

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